Can a horse die of colic in one hour...? I smell a rat...

[PapaFrita]

I mean from showing NO symptoms at all, to being dead with a ruptured intestine? Apparently a horse at Old Yard died yesterday in an hour from showing no signs of colic at all...
Sounds fishy to me, but am happy to stand corrected if anyone knows better.

 

[Dougie]

Complete large colon twists can die very quickly...not sure if that quick (it's too stupid an hour for my brain to function)

 

[Tia]

Sounds like peritonitis to me to be quite honest. This can appear as minimal symptoms and then, unless a keen person who knows the horse well is at hand, can turn ugly in absolutely no time.

Twisted gut on the other hand is never quick. It is slow and lingering, so doubtful it was that.

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
Complete large colon twists can die very quickly...not sure if that quick (it's too stupid an hour for my brain to function)

[/ QUOTE ]
The thing that makes me suspicious is that they saw NO symptoms and then horse was in agony and dead in an hour... I've seen several colics and ALL of them showed at least mild, but obvious symptoms ... having said that, ONE vet told YO a mare was aborting (she wasn't) and the grooms at our yard thought another mare was in labour *rolls eyes*

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like peritonitis to me to be quite honest. This can appear as minimal symptoms and then, unless a keen person who knows the horse well is at hand, can turn ugly in absolutely no time.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that makes more sense... I had a mare with peritonitis (obv I didn't KNOW that's what it was at the time) she was just 'off'. Had a devil of a time persuading vet (not my usual) he really DID have to come out and see her

[ QUOTE ]
Twisted gut on the other hand is never quick. It is slow and lingering, so doubtful it was that.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that's what I thought

 

[dingle12]

We had a pony fine in the field about an hour and half after dead. Had a PM and he had ruptured his large colon so they put it down to colic.

 

[PapaFrita]

Ah OK, so it IS possible. Thanks.

 

[Stinkbomb]

I left my old boy at half 6 one evening fine and dandy and returned at half 8 ( only by chance ) to find him in the worst pain i have ever seen a horse

He was PTS within the hour having thrown himself about to the point he was banging his head repeatedly on a concrete floor, half in and half out of his stable

I do believe had we not PTS he would have died a short while later anyway

 

[PapaFrita]

Oh no, poor boy. How horrible!

All the colics I've ever seen have been really long, drawn out affairs... It must've been incredibly upsetting for you!! (that being a MASSIVE understatement)

 

[lauraandjack]

Remember that 'colic' is merely a general term for miscellaneous abdominal pain and can have a wide variety of causes, not necessarily involving the gut. Some colics can deteriorate extremely quickly depending on what and where the problem is, especially 360o large colon torsions or strangulations high up in the small intestine. And once something has ruptured they really do go downhill rapidly.

 

[PapaFrita]

Yes, I get that... Perhaps what most surprised me was the apparent complete lack of symptoms... I suspected that the groom who found the horse was an idiot... I've TWICE caught a colic at my yard that the groom overlooked... so I was speaking from experience.
Having read the replies, I accept that he might NOT have been an incompetent moron though.

 

[lauraandjack]

There may well have been some less than attentive grooms involved, it's amazing what people miss sometimes. But it is also amazing how quickly some horses can deteriorate. A colleague of mine saw a mild colic first thing in the morning, I went to recheck it at lunchtime and believe me I could not get the Euthatal into it fast enough! There is no worse sight than a horse that's dying of a ruptured intestine.